Under the patronage of His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, President of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS) and the Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, the Fifth International Astronomical Union Middle-East and Africa Regional Meeting (IAU MEARIM V 2020) launched its activities. The Regional Center for Space Sciences and Technology Education for Western Asia (RCSSTEWA) of the United Nations and AUASS organized this conference in Amman, Jordan.

The conference activities will continue through virtual communication platforms for three days. Many scientists and specialists in the field of astronomy and space sciences from the Arab world and several international countries.

MEARIM V comes under the theme Astronomy Education and Research for the Future Generations. It aims to include the largest possible number of African and Middle Eastern countries in the space sector to strengthen and prepare a cadre of astronomers and establish centers that can develop astronomy in the region. It also aims to provide a platform for scientists and students to exchange ideas and experiences, share research outputs and knowledge, give young people and new scientists the opportunity to train and learn from their peers. MEARIM V also allows participants to share resources and proposes cooperation between the Middle East and Africa in promoting space sciences and astronomy in the region.

During the conference sessions, more than 50 scientific papers will be discussed in various topics of astronomy and space sciences such as astronomy in communication, education, culture, and for development; extragalactic astronomy and cosmology; satellites applications; the solar system and near-Earth objects; stellar astrophysics; multi-messenger astronomy and instrumentation; and the role of astronomy in the COVID-19 era.

MEARIM V started with an opening speech by His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, General Director of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology (SAASST), and President of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS). The Chancellor welcomed Prof. Ewine van Dishoeck, President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU); Mr. Kevin Govender, Director of the Office of Astronomy for Development of the IAU (OAD); Dr. Awni Khasawneh, Director General of RCSSTEWA and Secretary General of AUASS. He also welcomed all attendees and participants in the various sessions of the MEARIM V 2020.

This conference, the Chancellor stated, mbodies the great pride for the Arab and Islamic history in the fields of astronomy and space sciences. The developed world is achieving and accelerating its successive accomplishments and discoveries in astronomy, space sciences, and technology, which added much knowledge to the fields of sciences and technology.; Many of these accomplishments and initiatives, he added, began in the Arab world over the past 5 years including the establishment of various institutions, observatories, and agencies such as the UAE Space Agency in Abu Dhabi, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, and the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology in Sharjah. Various institutions like these started appearing throughout the region in Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria, amongst others.

The Chancellor continued stating that education in the fields of astronomy and space sciences, and other related specializations, has become a prime concern for curriculums at schools and universities. All of this with the goal of improving the development of sciences and technology, which has a great impact on human resources, national security, economics, politics, and social and humanitarian issues. It also impacts the development of the minds of the next generation and shaping them with the latest technologies and knowledge to positively impact the progress of their societies.

The Chancellor continued using the UAE as an example of the development of the field in the Arab region as the establishment of various centers brought about the exploration of space, the Universe, and Earth's natural and manufactured resources from space. It also aided in the launch of various major projects such as sending a UAE astronaut to space, launching the Hope Probe mission, and exploring the Moon in 2024. All of these have placed the UAE, and the Arab world, at the forefront of advanced countries in the world in the field of space sciences and technology. The Chancellor indicated that this is why teaching these disciplines at all levels is significant, and the University of Sharjah through SAASST and the Colleges of Sciences and Engineering is leading this mission by offering several related programs such as the MSc in Astronomy and Space Sciences, the MSc in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, and the Master in Air and Space Law with the College of Law. It is also awaiting accreditation for the MSc in Aerospace Engineering program. These programs are the basis for attracting and educating the next generation.

His Excellency Prof. Hamid Al Naimiy stressed that SAASST is an example of these successful institutions in the Arab world as the most comprehensive of its kind in the Middle East region. It provides a model for teaching and training students at various levels in astronomy, space sciences, and technology. The success of SAASST, he continued, makes it a model to follow at the national, regional, and international levels in the fields of education, research, and development.

For his part, Dr. Awni Khasawneh, Director General of RCSSTEWA and Secretary General of AUASS, thanked the President of AUASS and the Chancellor of the University of Sharjah Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy for his continuous support and generous sponsorship of the initiatives and the activities of astronomy and space sciences in the Arab world. He added that MEARIM V 2020 focuses on several important aspects in astronomy and space sciences through more than 50 scientific sessions. He expressed his happiness at the remarkable development in the space sector in the region starting from the establishment of several offices such as the Office for Astronomy Development (OAD) of the International Astronomical Union, the United Nations Regional Center for Space Sciences and Technology Education for Western Asia, and the remarkable development in the United Arab Emirates.

He commended His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy for his contributions to the establishment of several centers specialized in astronomy and space sciences such as SAASST at the University of Sharjah. He confirmed that all these institutions contribute to supporting the scientific, academic and research expansion plans in the field of space sciences and astronomy in the Arab world. This is by holding scientific conferences and workshops to gather Arab experts to discuss topics and issues related to scientific research in this field, and also contribute to raising the level of astronomy awareness and education in Arab countries with the aim of establishing an Arab space agency.

Prof. Ewine van Dishoeck, President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), also delivered a speech through which she introduced the attendees to the International Astronomical Union and its various tasks. Those include promoting and protecting astronomy in all its aspects including research, communication, education and development through international cooperation, and the establishment of specialized centers and offices as the Office for Development in the region. It also supports various entities in spreading awareness of the importance of the field of astronomy and space sciences.

Prof. Kevin Govender, Director of OAD, presented an overview of the International Astronomical Union's Middle East and Africa Regional Meeting. This year, he added, it coincides with the World Science Day for Peace and Development, and touched on the role of the Office for Astronomy Development in spreading awareness about changes such as change Climate, COVID-19, and how astronomy can address these societal changes.